Is Angry Birds Sharing Data with Spy Agencies?

Angry Birds are making angry customers, after a report claimed spy agencies have been exploiting apps such as the company’s hit mobile game to collect personal information on its users. Rovio Entertainment, the creators of Angry Birds, has denied doing such.

In a statement released Tuesday, Rovio says it does not share data nor work with agencies such as the NSA or Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters per USA Today.

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed suggests that a re-evaluation of the use of third-party advertising networks is in order by stating the below:

“Our fans’ trust is the most important thing for us and we take privacy extremely seriously. We do not collaborate, collude, or share data with spy agencies anywhere in the world. As the alleged surveillance might be happening through third party advertising networks, the most important conversation to be had is how to ensure user privacy is protected while preventing the negative impact on the whole advertising industry and the countless mobile apps that rely on ad networks”, said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment. “In order to protect our end users, we will, like all other companies using third party advertising networks, have to re-evaluate working with these networks if they are being used for spying purposes.”

According to reports published Monday by The New York Times, The Gaurdian, and ProPublica U.S, British Agencies take advantage of “leaky” smartphone apps such as Angry Birds to obtain personal data on users. These findings are based on documents taken by Edward Snowden, former intelligence analyst.

Rovio says surveillance like this “may be conducted through third party advertising networks used by millions of commercial web sites and mobile applications across all industries.”

The company has also adamantly denied that it does not let any third-party network use data from its apps.